Ryan Hall releases statement following UFC 264 loss, says he broke hand on first punch
It appears there was a reason behind Ryan Hall’s bizarre performance at UFC 264.
Hall (8-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) was handed his first octagon loss when he was knocked out by Ilia Topuria (11-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) at UFC 264 on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
While “The Wizard’s” approach to fighting always has been unique, he pulled guard and attempted to roll into leg lock submissions for most of the first round. He eventually was stopped by vicious ground-and-pound. Hall released a statement Sunday, claiming that he broke his hand on the first punch he landed.
“Well, that was going reasonably
well until it wasn’t. Headlock w 20 seconds left was a little ballsier than necessary…Thanks so much to all the people whose help, guidance, and support allowed me to have the opportunity to get back to doing what I love. Without them, I could never have made it to the ring.
In no particular order (I apologize if I accidentally miss anyone):
Jeanette Hall
Firas Zahabi
Kenny Florian
Thanh Le
Carlos Vera
David Terao
Adam Benayoun
Aiemann Zahabi
Frank Rosenthal
Matthew Miller
Kody Steele
Reilly Bodycomb
Darren Uyenoyama
Justin Rader
Tom Gallicchio
Jordan Rinaldi
Tom Zurita
Devin Hanneman
Caleb Livingston
Vinh Le
Alex Vamos
Raymond Daniels
Stephen Thompson
Brent Hess
Courtney Quinn
Josh Peacock
Melanie Gonzaga
Seth BleeThank you also to all the people who cheered or sent messages of support. I really appreciate it.
Broke my hand on the first punch landed, but cant wait to heal up, adjust, and be back again soon. ”
After winning Season 22 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Hall went 3-0, picking up wins over Gray Maynard, B.J. Penn and Darren Elkins. The 36-year-old jiu-jitsu ace saw his eight-fight winning streak snapped by unbeaten prospect Topuria, but is already focused on his comeback after his hand heals.